W.C. Clark, considered by many as the “godfather of the Austin blues,” makes his third appearance at the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay for an intimate house concert there at 7 p.m. July 9.

“If the blues is played right,” Clark has said, “it makes your soul feel clean.” The native of Austin, Texas and master guitarist/vocalist has been playing the blues and cleansing souls on stages around the world for over 40 years with his mix of modern Texas blues, searing guitar and heartfelt, Memphis-style soul vocals. Clark also has mentored countless young blues and soul players, from Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan to Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton to Marcia Ball. He has won several Austin Music Awards for Best Blues Band.

Wesley Curley Clark was born into a musical family in 1939. His father played guitar and his grandmother, mother and sisters all sang gospel in the church choir, and he learned the guitar as a youngster.

After playing with several local bands, he met r&b hitmaker Joe Tex, who recruited Clark to fill the vacant guitar slot in his group.

Clark toured the Southern “chitlin’ circuit,” learning music firsthand from Tex and soul and blues stars along the way, including James Brown.

In the early 1970s, Clark met and befriended Jimmie Vaughan’s firebrand guitarist brother, Stevie Ray, who occasionally sat in with the band. Clark later became the bass player in the Triple Threat Revue with Stevie Ray, and he and keyboardist Mike Kindred co-wrote “Cold Shot,” which became one of Vaughan’s biggest hits and earned Clark his first platinum record.

In the late 1970s, Clark formed his own band, The W.C. Clark Blues Revue, and self-released his first recording, “Something For Everybody,” in 1986. The band became stalwarts on the Austin music scene and opened for the likes of B.B. King, James Brown, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Albert King.

Critically acclaimed public television show “Austin City Limits” celebrated Clark’s 50th birthday in 1989 with disciples Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson, Barton, Strehli and Will Sexton all taking part. The broadcast brought Clark to the attention of a national audience for the first time.

Clark’s 1996 album “Texas Soul” earned him a W.C. Handy Blues Award for Soul Blues Album Of The Year. His next release, 1998’s “Lover’s Plea,” earned another Handy Award, this time for Artist Most Deserving of Wider Recognition. His third Handy came in 2002 for Blues Song of the Year with “Let it Rain.”

Clark has toured relentlessly for years, including performances at the Chicago, European, Ottawa and Toronto blues festivals, along with various festivals in Europe, Russia and Turkey. His most recent recording is 2011’s “Were You There,” available online and through his website.

Tickets are $10 for W.C. Clark’s concert at the Holiday Music Motel, 30 N. First Ave., Sturgeon Bay. The room seats about 40 people, so reservations are strongly recommended. For tickets or more information, call (920) 743-5571 or go to www.holidaymusicmotel.com.